For once, Julian had nothing to say, but his smile grew exponentially.
“The prince put in a good word for you as well. You have some excellent friends, Captain Featherstone,” the admiral went on. “Because they were so adamant, I've decided to release you. From this moment on, you're no longer my prisoner.”
“Thank you, sir!” Julian exclaimed. “You have no idea how ha--”
The admiral interrupted. “However, as long as you're on this airship, you'll be watched. I don't trust you.”
“That's understandable.”
“You'll have your own accommodations, food, a change of clothes. However, I must ask you for one small favor.” As the admiral glared, Julian swore he could feel the man's eyes penetrating his soul. “Keep your distance from my daughter.”
“Uhh...” Julian failed to finish his thought, or even begin a thought. It was a difficult promise to keep, if not an impossible one. Julian was dying to see her again.
“I can't keep her away from you, of course... if she chooses to see you,” Admiral Jordan said. “But you mustn't approach her. That's all I ask.”
“I guess I can live with that.”
“Roughly twenty-four hours from now, the Baltmoor Aerial Militia be launching an attack on the Black Palace. We hope to reclaim it on behalf of the prince. Should you wish to participate in this battle, weapons will be provided. My trust in you is flimsy, at best, but we could certainly use some extra help.”
Julian nodded deeply. “I'll bear that in mind.”
“Good. Now, if you have nothing left to say, I must ask you to take your leave.” The admiral was already reaching for his quill. “I have much to prepare before tomorrow.”
“Goodbye, sir. And good lu--” A guard yanked Julian from the admiral's quarters before he could complete his sentence. Then he was escorted to his own room, which was small, but definitely preferable to the prison.
Less than two minutes after he entered, there was a knock on the door. Julian barely had a chance to explore his room before he had his first visitor. But he wasn't upset, especially when his guest turned out to be none other than Letitia Jordan.
“Oh. Hello there, Captain Jordan,” Julian greeted her with a grin. “You look lovely today. And I'm not allowed to visit you, just so you k--”
Once again, Julian wasn't allowed to complete his thought. Lettie threw him against the wall so hard that she made his head clunk, but he didn't even care, because she covered his mouth with kisses. As her fingers snaked through Julian's windswept brown hair, she pressed her body against him. Her kisses were so ferocious, it was as if she was trying to suck his lips from his face.
“Oh... wow,” Julian whispered. After she attacked him with kisses, it took him a moment to recover. “What did I do to deserve that?”
“I missed you.”
“Ah. And I missed you too.” Julian playfully tapped her on the nose. “This eye patch is really working for me. When I meet Jolly in the afterlife, I'll have to thank him for leaving me with the keepsake that made all my wishes come true.”
“That's actually kind of sweet.” As she spoke, Lettie's hands grazed his chest. “Or is that the sort of thing you usually say to get women into bed with you?”
“No, you silly girl. I'm not trying to get you into bed with me!”
Lettie's brow pinched. She didn't know if she was supposed to be pleased or offended. “You don't want me?”
“Of course I do!” Julian's head was shaking with disbelief. “How do you not know that? My point is, I know you're a good girl, and this isn't some shallow seduction. I care about you. You're special. And I would wait for you as long as I needed to.”
His words earned him another assault from Lettie's lips. She kissed him with a passion he wouldn't have expected from such a serious, virtuous girl.
“At first, I thought you'd ruined my life,” Lettie said as her fingers drifted through Julian's hair. “When you took my airship, I thought it was the end of me. But now I can see that I've made a mess of your life! Featherstone Manor is destroyed because of me. You lost an eye because of me...”
“Are you kidding? My life is infinitely better with you in it.”
Lettie kissed him again and again, and when she felt him tuck her hair behind her ear, she practically purred.
“I hope you're not kissing me because you feel sorry for me,” Julian said. “Because I really and truly adore you.”
Lettie shrieked at the thought. “Of course not!”
“God, you really are beautiful.”
“You're not so bad yourself, Julian.” Lettie lightly kissed his nose. “I kept trying to convince myself I wasn't attracted to you, that I would never be interested in you, but you eventually got into my head. And then one day... I couldn't stop thinking about you.”
Julian nearly made a caddish remark about no woman being able to resist him, but he didn't think it would go over well with her, so he bit his tongue instead.
While Julian held his tongue, Lettie continued, “I even hated you once. I swear I did! I have no idea how or when you squeezed your way into my heart, but I'm glad you did. I wouldn't trade these feelings for the world.”
“So, where does this leave us?” he asked. “Where does this leave George Shit... Whitley.” He didn't think she would appreciate his special surname for her fiance, so he corrected himself.
“George bores me. Not to mention, he lost my respect when he attacked you! George can go to the devil for all I care!”
“Maybe you need to tell him that?” Julian suggested.
“I will... eventually... more tactfully than that, though.” As she stared into Julian's eyes, Lettie's smile expanded across her face. “For now, I have more important things to do.”
“Oh?” Julian looked intrigued. “And to what important things might you be referring?”
“I'll show you,” Lettie whispered as she leaned in for another kiss.
And another.
And another.
Forty Two
“I was listening to Doon's radio, and I think I just heard a coded message from Roderick,” Lyneah shared the news with Kieran while they were visiting Ella. It might not have been the most opportune time for a dramatic discussion, but she couldn't think of a better way to tell him. “He's heading to the capital with several of my airships. I was thinking about meeting up with him, removing Eversio from the palace, and finding my mother.”
“And what does this have to do with me, exactly?” Kieran took a sip of his tea, which was Miles' special brew. Kieran would have much rather had a swig of whiskey, but Ella was adamant against indulging in spirits in front of Ben.
“You've helped me so much, Kieran. I'm starting to think I can't accomplish anything without you.” Lyneah raised her teacup, blocking her grin. “I need your help.”
“I knew it,” Kieran sighed. “I knew that's what you were going to ask for!”
“You're needed, Kieran! Is it really so bad to be needed?” Lyneah's eyes glinted with expectation. “I'll give you a reward, of course. And it'll be a reward that's worthy of your unparalleled mercenary skills.”
“Reward,” Kieran repeated. “You've always use that word against me. It's probably my favorite word in the world, to be honest. It's right up there with the word breasts.” Kieran leaned back in his chair and gazed into the next room, where Ella was administering a shot of medicine to Ben. For the first time in his life, he found a reward he wanted more than money. “I don't know if I should leave Ella, though.”
“Oh, Kieran... you don't have to lie to me! I already know the truth. Ella isn't really your girlfriend.” Lyneah spoke quietly, since Miles wasn't too far away.
“She might not be my girlfriend now, but I'm working toward it.”
“Then you can come back to Bordeaux when all of this is over,” Lyneah suggested. “Please... will you at least give it some thought? I'd feel safer if you were at my side.”
“I'll consider it. But I'm not going to make
any promises. Not yet.” Despite his reluctance, Kieran already knew what he was going to do. Try as he might, he could never say no to Lyneah. Her pouting lips and promises of money were impossible to refuse.
Still, every time he looked at Ella, he had to pause. What if something happened to him? What if he couldn't return? Would she miss him half as much as he would miss her? As the questions swam through his head, he whispered to himself, “you've gone too soft, Kieran... too bloody soft...”
“Did you say something, Kieran?” Lyneah asked as she dropped another cube of sugar into her tea.
“No. It's nothing important.”
As she watched him raise his teacup, Lyneah giggled. For some reason, the tiny dish looked awkward in the mercenary's rugged hand.
“What?” Kieran grunted. “Why are you laughing?”
Lyneah used his own words against him. “It's nothing important.”
* * *
He was alone with Kitt. It felt like the right time. Once and for all, Francis Doon was going to make his move, and he was going to get her into his bed. He just had to ignore the crippling pile of nerves that festered in the pit of his stomach.
First, he needed to get her attention away from her book. “Kitt...”
“Hmm?”
“We've been... together... for awhile now,” Doon began. “Let's be honest. You're probably the only girl I could ever like, let alone love.”
“Oh god...” When Kitt set her book aside, her eyes were wide. “Doon, are you proposing?”
“No!” He sputtered at the thought. “Unless... did you want me to propose?”
“Not especially.”
“Good.” After a few seconds of silence, Doon's brow was pinched. “Wait. Does that mean you don't want to marry me?”
“I don't know. Did you want to marry me?” Kitt's heart punched against her chest as she awaited his answer.
“Did you want to marry me?” When he threw the question back at her, he said it more sharply. He wasn't trying to make a lifelong commitment with her, he was just trying to shag her—although he was already committed to her for life. Doon couldn't imagine himself with anyone else. If he couldn't have Kitt, he wouldn't have anyone. “Tobias' wedding got into your head, didn't it? Damn that boy for getting married so soon!”
“Doon...” Kitt's fingers curled around the spine of her book. A wicked voice in her head told her to chuck it at him, but she couldn't do it, no matter how frustrating he was. “You don't have to panic. I wasn't asking you to propose to me! I just thought that's what you were going to do, since you sounded so serious all of a sudden.”
“Well, I do want to move our relationship forward, Kitten...” When he started unbuttoning her shirt, Kitt's eyebrows shot to the middle of her forehead. “I think it's about time we tried to--”
Once again, their potentially intimate moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. As he stomped to the door, Doon had to exercise a tremendous amount of self-control to keep his curses in his head.
Throwing open the door, he hissed, “What?” When he realized it was Queen Lyneah again, he couldn't pretend to be happy to see her.
“I need to talk to you, Doon,” Lyneah began. “I was listening to the radio, and I heard a message from Roderick. He was using secret words that only we would understand, so I know it was a message for me.”
“How touching.” Doon held a hand to his heart. “You and Roddy Rick must really love each other.”
“That isn't true! I'm with Tobias!” Lyneah protested. “Anyway, back to the topic at hand... I need you to take me back to the capital so I can meet up with him. Do you think you could do that?”
“Sure. Yes. Take you to the capital. Got it.” Doon started to close the door in her face. “We'll depart in an hour or two.”
“Wait! Doon! I need to ask you about your--”
The door was closed before Lyneah could finish. As he locked it behind him, he thought about hanging a sign on the knob: do not disturb unless the airship is on fire or similar tragedy occurs.
His girlfriend couldn't hide her surprise as her eyes practically doubled in size. “I can't believe you just slammed the door in the queen's face. That was... bold.”
“She was wearing on my patience.” Doon flopped on the bed next to Kitt. “Now... where were we?”
“I think you were telling me I'm a wonderful person who you love with all your heart.”
Doon wrinkled his nose. “Was I?” When he saw her brow furrowing slightly, he amended himself. “Ah, yes! I was. You're an amazing and wonderful woman, Catherine Lake. You're the only woman I've ever loved, and you're the only woman I could ever love. And I think it's time for us to move our relationship forward.”
“And just to be clear, you're not talking about getting engaged,” she added with a chuckle.
“Uh... no. Not yet. Maybe someday.” When he started unbuttoning her shirt again, Kitt sat up and finished the job. She removed her shirt and cast it aside, revealing the brassiere beneath it.
“You know... I love you too, Doon,” Kitt said as she lifted his shirt over his head. “You're probably the most infuriating man in the world, but I could never stop loving you, no matter how much you annoyed me.”
“Are you sure? One of these days, I might do something horrible enough that you might change your mind.”
“No. Never.” Kitt's fingers traced the scars on Doon's back. They were innumerable, but she was determined to touch each one. “I love you forever, Francis Doon.”
When she removed her trousers, Doon nervously crawled on top of her. She pulled his head down, crushing her mouth against his. All his life, he struggled with intimacy, but Kitt was the only one who made him forget his fears. When she peeled off her undergarments, showing off her naked body for the very first time, his every last reservation melted away. He wanted her. He wanted her more than he ever thought possible.
For as long as he lived, Francis Doon would never deprive himself of such pleasure again.
Forty Three
As Tom waited in line for breakfast the next morning, he attracted stares from at least a half-dozen curious people, most notably the little boy in front of him. The child, who was roughly six or seven years of age, couldn't stop gawking at Harriot's scarred, dented face.
And because the boy's gaze was so unwavering, Tom was compelled to greet him with a friendly, “Hello there, young man.”
“What happened to your face?” the curious boy asked, which earned him a swat on the wrist from his disapproving mother.
“Thomas!” the mother cried. Ironically, the child had the same name as him. “You mustn't ask questions like that! It's the height of rudeness! Apologize at once!”
Forced to obey his mother, the child half-heartedly mumbled an apology. “Sorry I was rude.” The word rude sounded like wood, but it was easy enough to understand what he meant.
“It's alright,” Harriot said, forcing a smile. “I can't blame the boy for being curious.”
“Does it hurt?” the young Tom asked, which earned him a few more snorts of disapproval from his exasperated mother.
“Not anymore.”
“Did it hurt when it happened?”
“It most certainly did,” Harriot told him. “But it was a long time ago. I'm perfectly alright now.”
“I'm really sorry,” the mother apologized again. When the innkeeper handed her two heaping plates of ham and eggs, she looked relieved that her wait was over. “I thought Tom would know he's being inappropriate, but I guess he has a lot to learn.”
“No, it's okay. I don't mind.” And it was true. For the first time in his life, he didn't really care what other people were thinking, not when his own thoughts were consumed with Isabella's safety. Nothing else mattered.
“Well... you take care,” the woman said as she left with her plates. “Thanks for being so patient and kind with Tom.”
Kind. It wasn't a word often associated with Thomas Harriot, but he appreciated it. Perhaps it wasn't t
oo late to turn his life around? Perhaps it wasn't too late to be seen as the decent person he always wanted to be? If he ever wanted to be worthy of Isabella, there were so many aspects of himself that needed to be changed. For her, he had to try.
A few minutes later, Harriot collected two plates of breakfast and returned to their room in the inn. When Isabella saw the food, her eyes lit up.
“Oh, thank god!” Isabella moaned as she reached for one of the plates. She was so hungry, she couldn't be bothered to use a fork. She picked up her ham and shoved it into her salivating mouth. “It's been so long since I've had good food! When I was a prisoner, they barely fed me! And when they did feed me, it was slop. I'm fairly sure they fed me rat's meat on more than one occasion. And Jackal even spit in my food once! Ugh!” Isabella shuddered at the memory of it. “That's going to haunt me for the rest of my life.”
“Jackal or the food?” Tom asked.
“Both!” Isabella picked up her fork and shoveled an immense pile of scrambled eggs into her waiting lips. “In what putrid hole did your father find and recruit a man like Jackal? Where does one go to find such a creep?”
Tom chuckled. “I haven't the slightest idea, and I don't think I'd want to know.”
“Well... he's awful. Jackal is quite possibly the most vile human being I've ever encountered. He's such a foul little creature, I'm not even sure he is human. Of course, your father is almost as bad,” Isabella rambled. “I know he's your father, and I feel bad about thinking such terrible things about him, but he's truly one of the worst people alive. But in some weird way, I'm glad he exists, because if he didn't exist, you wouldn't exist, and that would be such a shame.”
“I'm glad you exist too, Isabella. And you never have to apologize for thinking terrible things about my father. When he hurt you, I lost any fond feelings I might have had for him.”
Prisoner Princess Page 26